In recent years, accompanying an increase in a number of diabetics, a self monitoring of blood glucose which monitors daily fluctuation of a blood sugar level by a patient himself comes to be recommended.
The measurement of the blood sugar level is carried out by use of a blood glucose monitoring apparatus for automatically measuring an amount of glucose in blood. Prior to the measurement, a patient must sample his own blood.
A method of sampling the blood includes steps of puncturing a skin of a fingertip by a puncture needle and then pressing the vicinity of a punctured portion with fingers or the like to squeeze out the blood.
The puncture to the fingertip is conducted by removably fitting a puncture device having a puncture needle to a puncture apparatus (referred to, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, the puncture device is fitted to the puncture apparatus, and the puncture apparatus is operated to project the puncture needle by an operation of a puncture mechanism provided in the puncture apparatus, thereby puncturing the fingertip. Further, a needlepoint of the puncture needle disclosed in the Patent Document 1 is formed into a conical-like shape.
However, when such a needlepoint formed into the conical-like shape is used, depending on conditions such as differences of a skin thickness of a fingertip among individuals, it has empirically been found that it is difficult to sufficiently puncture the fingertip so that the blood flows out from the fingertip. Further, if the needlepoint punctures the fingertip deeply so that the blood reliably flows out from the fingertip, it has also empirically been found that pain is increased.
The Patent Document 1 is JP-A 2005-334369.